What to Look For From Sony

E3 always held a special place in the hearts of video game enthusiasts. Game announcements, hardware unveils and much more are always in the back of your mind when watching each of the three press conferences, wondering what the companies have up their sleeves.

Call it worthless–you probably won’t get a whole lot of arguments from me. (Calm down, Sony fans, I feel the same way about the achievement system.) But needless to say, achievements and trophies mean something to a lot of the “core” gamers out there. Trophies are an excellent concept and have just enough differentiation from the achievement system to make it a worthwhile competitor. Having tiers for different accomplishments based on difficulty is great.

Since I’ve talked it up, let me knock it down a little bit–developer support is key, and Sony has not been firm. On the official PlayStation blog, Eric Lempel (Director of PlayStation Network Operations) said that Sony is “working with developers to ensure that Trophies are supported across the board in the future.” Sorry Eric, but that’s not good enough. Trophies need to be supported in every game that’s coming out this holiday season, third-party or first-party, for this thing to work. Hopefully we’ll get something more firm during the press conference.

2. Price

Not unlike Microsoft, Sony has a price problem on their hands. With their cheapest North American PS3 price coming in at $399, there are real concerns that they continue to price out “casual” consumers out of the next-generation gaming market. Though, some might argue that, like Microsoft, their line-up hasn’t exactly inspired casual support either. I’m not one that ascribes to that opinion. Games like Buzz and SingStar have succeeded for Sony in the past, but it’s a matter of Sony cutting price another $50-100 in time for Christmas. (Even at $299-$349, still not at a “mainstream price,” but getting better.)

While Sony might not announce anything relating to price at their E3 Press Conference, it is a continuing concern, especially with Microsoft appearing to announce a cut in the near future. A surprise announcement of a price drop would sure make some headlines and spur sales, that’s for sure.

1. Home

Somewhat of a no-brainer, but Sony needs to show off Home again and re-ignite the excitement that Home had when it was first shown. Delays have pushed Home back multiple times, and they’re running the risk of burning the gaming public out on this concept if they don’t get the ball rolling.

Previously mentioned PlayStation Network head Eric Lempel, in an interview with Next-Gen, said that Home will be coming “this Fall,” which is great news. But at E3, Home needs to be demoed, and, if possible, given a firm date. (None of this hazy “fall” junk.) Show me what is improved, show me the functionality, and tell me the month (if not the day) that I can finally get my paws on it.

Everyone has their specific game sequels they want unveiled, services they want supplied, accessories they are dying for…so how about it? What do you want to see from Sony? Let us know in the comments!

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Console MonsterConsole Monster is an independent gaming website that is dedicated to the Xbox and PlayStation gamer. Established in 2005 our team of UK and USA volunteer gamers bring our readers regular console gaming articles. If you are looking for a platform to get yourself heard, we would love to hear from you!